Coupler release rigging



March 30 1926. 1,578,601

4 W. B. HALL COUPLER RELEASE RIGGI NG I Filed March '7, 1925 j i'zzzzmzzi at.

Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

CN TED STATES PATEN foFFicE.

WILLIAM B. HALL, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNoR TOUNION RAILWAY EQUIP:

- MENT COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLI oIsn'ConronArIoN or ILLINOIS.

COUPLER RELEASE 'R GGINC Application filed Maren-v, i925. Serial 13,594. i

T all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM B. HALL,

citizen of the United States,'residing'at Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have iiwented certain new and use fulImprovements in Coupler Release Rigging, of whic'h the' following is a specificae tion'.

means for; raising the lockin the coupler .to afford a greater degree of leverage than e "can be obtained lnthe use ofja one piece This action throws the coupler knuckle open and permits the cars to separate.

The mechanism of the presentinventionj' is designed to afford a' considerable leverage] which is necessary in order to raise the couplei" lock and force the knuckle of the coupler open with a minimum of hand power on the end of the operating lever.

In use, it is frequently necessary for the operator to stand on'the sill step; at the corner of the car, particularly" when the car is in motion, and from this position it iseasier for him to pull up on the lever than to push down. When, however, a man'is standing on the ground and attempts to operate the release rigging, it is naturally more conven, ient for him to push down than to pull, and,

the rigging of thepresent invention is designed to be operated with equal facility by either method. f f

The invention is also directed to the means for guiding the lever to keepit in alignment and to afford sufiicient clearance around the lever to conform to thesafety appliance rules. 'The lever mechanism is also designed lever, and to improve the construction and arrangement of the device as a whole. I Inthe drawmgs:

Figure 1 is an elev-ation of the end of av car showing the locking the coupler'locked; and

Fig. 2 is a plan'view of the same.

pin lowered and The drawings represent the coupler head 10 outwardly projecting from a .base plate or mounting 11 secured to'the end 'silll12 of a car. The usual sill step 13 hangs from the corner of the car in close proximity to the operating lever 14, which is of hell crank formation and provided at its inner end with an upper extension or short arm 15.

The lever is pivoted at its jelbow upon a dowel pin16 which extends upwardly from a bracket 17 bolted to. the end of the car, a

which bracketstandsaway from the car and is provided with 'a" segmental shaped guide 7 U Y ates within the limits affordedjby the strap. The object of this invention isjto provide The {lever normally'occupies the medial p' -Q extending"; vertically,fi and this Y arm is perforated to'freceive a riiigyshaped; -link 1 20," whichconnects with theouter end of a ful- I crum lever 21,.which is carried by a dowel v sition', shown with the sho rt arm of the lever when' it' is desirable-to uncouplethe cars;

pin 22 on the outer end'of a fulcrum bracket Q 28, the dowel being of sufficientdength to permit the lever to slide laterally to the motion which may take; place on theinner coupler lockj It will be noted thatthe. fulcrum lever is end of the lever which is connected with the pivotedat apoint comparatively near to its outer end, so that a comparatively short verticalimovement imparted to the outer end of the lever will be correspondingly magnitiedv in degree at the-inner end; The inner into alignment with'thecoupler lock pin 24, i v and the inner-end of the. lever terminatesin" .around; hooked extension .25, which fits "freely through the eye of the pin/and is of suflicient'lengthto accommodate any lateral movement'of thecoupler head In a direction lengthwise of the fulcrum lever.

the lock pin and releasethe coupler knuckle.

{This method of applying the uncoupling "apparatus'to the end of'the car comprises a lever having direct connectionto the coupler look without the use of bolts, clevises,.key

boltsfcotter pins, etc;, as directe'd by the A. R. A; rules. I Itis also applied so that In use, either an up or. down motion of, the outer end of 'the hand lever will impart; [a pull to the link which connects with the outer end 'of the fulcrum lever, and this 1elatively short vertical motion Will be am"- .plified sufficiently at the inner'end to raise there is I ample clearance between the lever and the end ofthecar for the provision of f v link connecting the hand lever andt-he fulf I a brake shaftof any app oved design. The

'70 degree necessaryto accommodate any lateralf l 'crum lever is preferably made of inch round steel, which eliminates the necessity for key bolts, cotter pins, etc, andvat the same time provides freedom for the short .arm of the hand lever in performing the arcuate movements to which it is subjected.

. nation with theverticallymovableloc mg I claim:

1. In a coupler release rigging in Combination with the vertically movable locking pm, a plvoted pin-operating lever havingits.

inner end so connected with the pin as ,to impart vertical movements thereto, and a pivoted handlever having 1ts inner end standing in substantially right angle rela' tion to the outer end .of the pln operat ng lever, and so connected therewith as to 1mpart vertical pin lifting movements thereto,

.by a movementfof the operatingflever in either direction, substantially "as. described; 2. In a coupler release rigging incomb pin, a pivoted "pin operating 'lever having 'itsfinne'r end s /connected'withthe pinas to. impart vertical movementsthereto, and a pivoted hand lever of hell crank format on,

- having its inner end standing vert cally w th I relation to andgbeing connected to the outer end of the first named leverwin a manner ,to impart pin lifting movements thereto by movement of the hand lever in eitherndirection, the outer end of the hand lever extendupper end of the pin," said lever being pivoted at a point to provide a long lnner arm and afshort, outer arm, and a hand lever .pivoted to provide a short inner arm and a longouter arm, the short arm of the hand lever standing in right anglerelation to the outer end of the pin operat ng lever and connected thereto 1 to impart vertical in lifting movements theretoby movement of the hand lever in ne therdirection substantially as described,

/ l- In a coupler release rigging in'combination with a vertically movable locking P 1 a P RQl a-tmg lever a me' t upper endof the pm, Said lever bemg plV:-

otedata point to provide a long inner, arm

and-a short outer arm, and a' hand flever pivoted to provideashort inner arm and a long ,o'ntcr ,arm,.the short ,armof the hand lever standing in right angle relation to the outer end of the pin operating lever and connected thereto to impart vertical pin lifting movements thereto by movement of the hand lever in either direction, said 5, In a couplerrelease rigginginlcombr.

5*nation with a vertically movableflocking.

connection being afforded by means of a link, substantially as describedgf scribed.

tion, substantially as described.

pin, a pin-operating lever engaging the upper end of the pin, said lever being'pivoted at a point to provide a long inner arm and ashort outer-Farm, and ahand lever' plvoted to providea short inner arm' and along outer arm, the shortarm of the'hand lever standlng in right angle-relation to the outer.

end of the pin-operating lever and connectedthereto torimpart vertical pin lifting '7 movements thereto by movement of the hand lever n either d rection, said connection being afforded by means of; a ring shaped link, substantially as described. a

6. In a coupler release rigging, in nation with a vertically movable locking pin,

comm-'1 a pin operating lever having: itsinnerend.

vertically movable and in engagement with the pin,'a pivot on the end of the-car engaging;a n intermediatefportion of saidilever, .a

hand'lever having its inner end in proximate relation to the outer end of the pin operating lever, a pivot on the endof jthe car .engag mg an intermediate portion ofthehand" lever, and a connecting memberbetweenthe proximate ends of the twolevers, the pivots being,- so disposedfin relation to one another as to mamtainthe proximate ends of the two levers in substantially right anglef'relation to one another in the medial position when the inner end of the pin operating lever is lowered, whereby aswing ngmovement of, the mner endof the hand lever in either direction away from the Ymedial position will effect a liftingof the innerfendof the pin operating lever, substantially as depivoted'to the car at Ia point to alfordarelae a coupler release rigging in eombi j ,natlon'with a vertically movable-locking pm, a horizontally disposed pln-operatingflever tively long inner arm and a relatively short" outer arm, the inner arnr having. sliding engagement withthe locking pin, and. the piv-i otal mounting'for the'lever afi'ord inglimited freedom for lateral movement to thelever,

and a hand lever of bell crank formation pivoted to the carandhaving-a short vertl-f V cally extending inner armvand ajlon'g horr zontally extending. outeriar'm,theinneriarm beingeonnec'ted, with the short outer arm of the pin operating'lever, in a manner to impart p1nhfting movements thereto] by movement of the hand'lever in either three- 8. In acojuplerj release rigging in co nbination with a vertically movable locking] mg engagement with the locking pin, and a hand lever of hell crank format on pivoted .to the car and having a short vertically pin,- a horizontally disposed pimOperatin lever, pivoted fto the .car atapoint to affor a relatively long inner arm and a relatively short outer arm, the inner arm having slidextending inner arm and along'horizontally extending outer armgthe inner arm being March 30 1926. 1,578,601

4 W. B. HALL COUPLER RELEASE RIGGI NG I Filed March '7, 1925 j i'zzzzmzzi at. 

